Dancing Alum to Helm Dance Fitness Show

• Dec 18, 2008 05:39 PM ET
• by Anna Dimond

Marissa Jaret Winokur

Marissa Jaret Winokur may not have won a disco ball, but she might be winning over dance and fitness converts with her new TV series.

The Dancing with the Stars alumna will be helming Oxygen's new weight-loss reality show, Dance Your Ass Off. Winokur will introduce new dance routines to the contestants each week, as well as help usher them toward healthier lifestyles.

A panel will judge the contestants weekly on both their dancing ability and their achievement of weight-loss goals. In the meantime, contestants will also have the opportunity to dance with professional partners, who have yet to be announced.  (My money's on Winokur's ex-pro partner, Tony Dovolani.)

"I had the time of my life learning how to ballroom dance for Dancing with the Stars," Winokur said, "and getting in shape was just an amazing extra bonus. I'm really excited to help others do the same thing." In addition to helping her new charges "find their inner thin," as the network promises, the Tony-winning actress is starring in a Broadway production of Hairspray.

How does the new Dance show sound to you? Will you be tuning in?